Mountain Muhly

More info for the terms: density, fuel, habitat type, herbaceous

In central Arizona mountain muhly was sampled in September 1981, on sites that previously had been prescribed burned in ponderosa pine pole timber and mature stands.  Thinning treatments and grazing management varied from site to site.  All burned sites were matched with similar, unburned controls.  The following mountain muhly production (kg/ha) means were reported [4]; standard errors are in parentheses:                          Ponderosa Pine Pole Stands                  2 yr burn         5 yr Burn         7 yr burn Burn            0.21 (0.06)*      0.60 (0.22)       4.56 (1.06)* Control         1.60 (0.82)*      0.28 (0.12)       1.22 (0.38)*                            Mature Ponderosa Pine Stands Burn            0.88 (0.30)       0.16 (0.15)       0.84 (0.27) Control         8.24 (4.20)       0.10 (0.05)       0.67 (0.20) * Indicates significant difference (p less than .05) between burn and control. In 2-year-old burns, mountain muhly production was less than on control sites.  In 5- and 7-year-old burns, mountain muhly production was greater than on control sites [4]. In central Arizona mountain muhly occurred on an area that was prescribed burned October 18 and 19, 1977.  Mountain muhly density was sampled before the fire, in 1974, and again after the fire, in 1980. Backfires and short strip headfires were used; estimates of fuel consumption ranged from 50 to 75 percent.  Most ponderosa pine regeneration was not killed.  Mountain muhly density was 1.01 stems per square meter in 1974.  In 1980, after the fire, stem density was zero [62]. In central Arizona mountain muhly biomass and nutrient concentrations were measured during the first growing season after burning on plots in a ponderosa pine/Arizona fescue habitat type.  The stand had been unburned since a fire in 1876.  The overstory consisted of uneven-aged ponderosa pine distributed in even-aged groups of mature trees, poles, or saplings.  Mountain muhly was dominant in the herbaceous vegetation within openings.  Controlled burning occurred in November 1976.  The fire consumed surface needles on 94 percent of the area, and exposed mineral soil on 16 percent of the area.  Fuels less than 1 inch (2.54 cm) in diameter were reduced 63 percent.  Fuel reduction was greatest under mature trees, where fuel loads were heaviest; it was intermediate in pole stands, and least in sapling stands.  Mountain muhly standing crop was sampled on 11 burned and 7 unburned plots during June and September of postfire year 1.  Mountain muhly standing crop and measured nutrient concentrations (% oven-dry weight) were as follows 7 months after fire [35]:                                     June 1977              Mature Timber             Pole                Sapling            Unburned   Burned     Unburned   Burned     Unburned   Burned Standing        Crop            (kg/ha)     3.97     3.26         2.18*    0.47         0.26     2.09 N  (%)        0.99     1.19         1.02*    1.31         1.07     1.15 P  (%)        0.25*    0.35         0.28*    0.34         0.27     0.32 K  (%)        0.69*    0.82         0.68*    0.82         0.62*    0.82 Ca (%)        0.13*    0.18         0.14*    0.19         0.14*    0.18 Mg (%)        0.10*    0.14         0.12     0.14         0.12     0.12 * Indicates significant difference (p less than .05) between burned and unburned     sites within a stratum. By 10 months after fire, no significant differences in standing crop were found between unburned and burned plots, and few significant differences in nutrient concentrations persisted [35].

mountain muhly

More info for the term: cover

In Utah the cover value of mountain muhly for wildlife has been rated as good for small mammals, fair for upland game birds and small nongame birds, and poor for waterfowl [23].

More info for the terms: caryopsis, culm, fruit, warm-season

Mountain muhly is a native, perennial, warm-season bunchgrass [6,23]. Culms are branched at the base [82] and densely tufted [40,60]; they are usually erect and 4 to 32 inches (10-80 cm) tall [16,34,40,82].  Leaves are mostly basal and densely clustered; there are also some culm leaves [16,82].  Leaf blades are 2 to 10 inches (5-25 cm) long [16,34,82]. Leaf sheaths become papery and loose from the culm [38] and are persistent, often becoming flattened with age [82].  The inflorescence is a narrow, oblong, erect or nodding panicle 2 to 6 inches (5-15 cm) long [16,34,40]; the branches are 0.4 to 3.5 inches (1-9 cm) long, and erect to moderately spreading [82].  Spikelets are one flowered [16]. Lemma awns are 0.24 to 0.79 inch (6-20 mm) long [16,34,40].  The fruit is a caryopsis [34]. Mountain muhly has fibrous roots [10].  In a variety of soils, 15 percent of mountain muhly roots were in the first 3 feet (.91 m) of soil, and 58 percent were in the first 6 feet (1.83 m).  The deepest roots were 9 feet deep (2.74 m) [29].

Mountain muhly occurs from Montana and Wyoming to western Texas and south through Mexico to Guatemala.  It extends west through Utah and Arizona.  It is also found in northern and Sierra Nevadan California [16,25,34,40,42,46].

More info for the terms: fire regime, litter

Mountain muhly may sprout after aerial portions are burned.  It is densely tufted [40,60] and old sheath bases are persistent [82]; they may protect basal buds from fire damage.  On the other hand, in hot dry conditions the dead litter of a mountain muhly plant can produce a hot fire which may damage or kill the plant [81]. FIRE REGIMES : Find fire regime information for the plant communities in which this species may occur by entering the species name in the FEIS home page under "Find FIRE REGIMES".

More info for the terms: frequency, fuel, herb, tree

Mountain muhly is a principal grass in some ponderosa pine/grass types where recurring fires have maintained savanna.  In north-central Arizona mountain muhly will usually carry surface fires in November, and perhaps during the winter and spring [11]. In the Santa Catalina Mountains of Arizona, decades of fire protection have resulted in many ponderosa pine stands with a dense undergrowth of ponderosa pine saplings.  In the 1960's, an inventory of ponderosa pine stands burned within the past few decades revealed that those burned by lightning-caused fires, which occur at a relatively high frequency in the range, were primarily open and parklike, with an herb layer dominated by mountain muhly.  However, intensity of a major incendiary fire was so severe that it killed all ponderosa pines in the stand and enhanced development of oak (Quercus spp.) scrub, which shaded out mountain muhly [61]. In ponderosa pine/bunchgrass forests in Arizona and New Mexico, fires applied every decade to reduce fuel and thin tree seedlings will maintain ponderosa pine/bunchgrass savanna [58].

More info for the terms: cover, density, fire management, forest, fuel, fuel moisture, habitat type, tree

Mountain muhly cover and biomass decrease in response to fire, and flowering is suppressed for 1 postfire year. FIRE CASE STUDY SPECIES: Muhlenbergia montana FIRE CASE STUDY CITATION: Walsh, Roberta A., compiler. 1995. Effects of prescribed fires on mountain muhly in the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona: Fuel, timber and forage effects. In: Muhlenbergia montana. In: Fire Effects Information System, [Online]. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fire Sciences Laboratory (Producer). Available: https://www.fs.fed.us /database/feis/ [ var months = new Array(12); months[0] = "January"; months[1] = "February"; months[2] = "March"; months[3] = "April"; months[4] = "May"; months[5] = "June"; months[6] = "July"; months[7] = "August"; months[8] = "September"; months[9] = "October"; months[10] = "November"; months[11] = "December"; var date = new Date(); var year = date.getFullYear(); var month = date.getMonth(); var day = date.getDate(); document.write(year+", "+months[month]+" "+day); ]. REFERENCES : Gaines, Edward M.; Kallander, Harry R.; Wagner, Joe A. 1958. Controlled burning in southwestern ponderosa pine: results from the Blue Mountain plots, Fort Apache Indian Reservation. Journal of Forestry. 56: 323-327. [31]. SEASON/SEVERITY CLASSIFICATION: spring/moderate STUDY LOCATION: Prescribed fires were carried out on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation 7 miles (11 km) east of McNary, Arizona. PREFIRE VEGETATIVE COMMUNITY : Prefire vegetation was in uneven-aged variable density ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) stands with open grassy glades which included mountain muhly (Muhlenbergia montana), with cover of about 70 percent, and bottlebrush squirreltail (Elymus elymoides). TARGET SPECIES PHENOLOGICAL STATE : Not given. SITE DESCRIPTION: The study site is at an elevation of 7,400 feet (2,256 m).  The ground is flat, and the soil is "rather heavy."  The area was selectively logged in 1924. Grass density was low because of the relatively dense trees.  Forage was similar on all plots. FIRE DESCRIPTION: There were six burned plots and six unburned control plots in a ponderosa pine habitat type.  Three plots were burned September 30, 1950; another three were burned October 10, 1950. Average fuel weights before burning (in tons per acre) were as follows:                             Control     September      October          Size of Fuel        Plots      Burn Plots    Burn Plots     Large (diam. > 12 in)     4.49         8.00*         3.73*     Medium (2-11 in. diam.)   3.81         3.08          1.40     Small (< 2 in. diam.)     6.94         6.21          4.83     Total                    15.24        17.29**        9.96** *  Difference between September and October plots significant (p less than .05). ** Difference between September and October plots significant (p less than .01). Small fuels included needles, dead grass, cones, and partly rotted wood. Weather conditions were different on the 2 burning days, and the effects of the fires were markedly different.  The September fire was conducted from 10:00 a.m. to 3:40 p.m.  Air temperature was 59 to 67 degrees Fahrenheit (15-19 deg C).  Relative humidity was 62 to 37 percent.  Fuel moisture was 14.0 to 11.6 percent.  Wind velocity was 18 to 25 miles per hour (29-40 km/hr).  A light shower fell during burning of two of the three plots, and 0.25 inches (0.64 cm) rain fell after 6:00 pm, cooling the site. The October fire was conducted from 12:00 m. to 3:30 p.m.  Air temperature was 73 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (23-24 deg C).  Relative humidity was 19 to 17 percent.  Fuel moisture was 10.0 to 8.5 percent. Wind velocity was 3 to 12 mph (5-19 km/hr).  Wind was variable and gusty, causing spot blowups during burning. The effect of the fires on surface fuel weight was as follows:                            Percent Change                  September Fire        October Fire         Large        -63*                  -74*         Medium       -62*                  +83*         Small        -48                   -51         Total        -57                   -40 * Difference between September and October fires significant (p less than .05). Reduction of heavy fuel by the October fire was partially offset by an increase in medium fuel.  Both fires raised the lower level of tree crowns in sapling thickets and killed almost all trees less than 3 or 4 feet (0.9-1.2 m). FIRE EFFECTS ON TARGET SPECIES : Mountain muhly was reduced on all burned plots the first year after burning, as were other grasses.  Two years later mountain muhly comprised about 60 percent of total grass density, 10 percent less than prefire levels. FIRE MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS: Mountain muhly usually declines the first growing season after fire.  It usually does not regain its former cover until at least 3 years after fire.

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More info for the term: hemicryptophyte

      Hemicryptophyte

Mountain muhly is found in dry to moist sites [23,82], but it requires excellent drainage [40].  It is found in grassy parklands, on slopes and foothills [16,20,82], on rocky, dry hillsides [24,25,34], and in canyons and on mesas [34,38,46].  In Arizona it is the principal grass on dry forested ranges between meadows [44]. Mountain muhly usually occurs on coarse to loamy soils, although it sometimes occurs on clays.  In Arizona mountain muhly grows on stony clayey loam [4], sandy loam developed from basaltic parent material [27], gravelly loam with a broken surface of volcanic rock, gravelly sandy loams of both limestone and sandstone origin, and red clay [6]. In California mountain muhly grows on granitic rock outcrops [40].  In Colorado mountain muhly grows on gravelly sandy loam, stony loam developed from limestone, fine loose sand from disintegrating sandstone, [10], and infertile, coarse-textured soil with little profile development [33].  In Utah mountain muhly grows on basaltic stony loams [63].  Mountain muhly grows poorly on acidic and saline soils [23]. In central Arizona mountain muhly grows where precipitation occurs mainly during winter and late summer [4].  Annual maximum precipitation occurs from July through September; a secondary period occurs from December through March.  Fall and late spring months are usually arid [20].  Annual precipitation ranges from 17 to 25 inches (430-640 mm). In Colorado about two-thirds of the annual precipitation, which averages 15.9 inches (404 mm), falls during the April through September growing season [33]. Mountain muhly is reported at the following elevations:                       Feet            Meters Arizona           4,000-9,203       1,219-2,805    [5,12,20,27,46] California        4,500-11,220      1,372-3,420    [40,60] Colorado          5,500-10,400      1,676-3,170    [10,23,34] Montana           2,650-6,000         808-1,829    [36,74] New Mexico        5,387-11,100      1,642-3,383    [1,29,56] Texas                 7,500             2,286      [41] Utah              6,004-10,810      1,830-3,295    [82,84] Wyoming               7,300             2,225      [23]

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This species is known to occur in association with the following cover types (as classified by the Society of American Foresters):

   206  Engelmann spruce-subalpine fir
   210  Interior Douglas-fir
   220  Rocky Mountain juniper
   234  Douglas-fir-tanoak-Pacific madrone
   237  Interior ponderosa pine
   239  Pinyon-juniper
   243  Sierra Nevada mixed conifer
   244  Pacific ponderosa pine-Douglas-fir
   247  Jeffrey pine
   256  California mixed subalpine

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This species is known to occur in the following ecosystem types (as named by the U.S. Forest Service in their Forest and Range Ecosystem [FRES] Type classification):

More info for the term: shrub

   FRES20  Douglas-fir
   FRES21  Ponderosa pine
   FRES23  Fir - spruce
   FRES29  Sagebrush
   FRES34  Chaparral - mountain shrub
   FRES35  Pinyon - juniper
   FRES36  Mountain grasslands
   FRES38  Plains grasslands
   FRES40  Desert grasslands

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This species is known to occur in association with the following plant community types (as classified by Küchler 1964):

More info for the terms: forest, woodland

   K011  Western ponderosa forest
   K012  Douglas-fir forest
   K015  Western spruce - fir forest
   K016  Eastern ponderosa forest
   K018  Pine - Douglas-fir forest
   K019  Arizona pine forest
   K020  Spruce - fir - Douglas-fir forest
   K021  Southwestern spruce - fir forest
   K023  Juniper - pinyon woodland
   K031  Oak - juniper woodlands
   K037  Mountain-mahogany - oak scrub
   K054  Grama - tobosa prairie
   K055  Sagebrush steppe
   K063  Foothills prairie
   K066  Wheatgrass - needlegrass

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This species is known to occur in association with the following Rangeland Cover Types (as classified by the Society for Range Management, SRM):

More info for the terms: forb, shrubland, woodland

   209  Montane shrubland
   210  Bitterbrush
   314  Big sagebrush-bluebunch wheatgrass
   322  Curlleaf mountain-mahogany-bluebunch wheatgrass
   401  Basin big sagebrush
   403  Wyoming big sagebrush
   409  Tall forb
   412  Juniper-pinyon woodland
   413  Gambel oak
   415  Curlleaf mountain-mahogany
   416  True mountain-mahogany
   420  Snowbrush
   504  Juniper-pinyon pine woodland
   509  Transition between oak-juniper woodland and mahogany-oak association

Mountain muhly culms and leaves are probably killed by fire.

More info for the term: xeric

In Arizona mountain muhly is an important range species with high forage value for cattle [14,46,52]; it is most valuable for grazing during the summer rainy period, when it is growing [6]. On ponderosa pine/bunchgrass ranges in northern Arizona, mountain muhly was the third most utilized grass in a study of relative cattle preference for various forage species.  Mountain muhly was grazed 31 percent; only Kentucky bluegrass (Poa pratense) and Arizona fescue (Festuca arizonica) were more heavily grazed [14]. In Colorado mountain muhly is an important forage species in ponderosa pine forests [38].  In the eastern Intermountain West, mountain muhly provides considerable forage for cattle [16]. In central Colorado cattle preference for forage species was measured on ponderosa pine/bunchgrass range during the spring-summer-fall grazing season.  Mountain muhly percent of dried rumen samples was [17]:             May     June     July     Aug.     Sept.     Nov. Percent     3.5     2.7      0.0      0.8      3.9       10.5   In Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, mountain muhly was a principal winter elk food in xeric grasslands, in ponderosa pine-shrub habitats, and in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) areas [43].

More info for the terms: forest, habitat type, woodland

Mountain muhly is an indicator or dominant species in the following
published classifications:

Classification of the forest vegetation of Colorado by habitat type
  and community type [2] 
Classification of the forest vegetation on the National Forests of
  Arizona and New Mexico [3]
Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of Arizona south
  of the Mogollon Rim and southwestern New Mexico [7]
A classification of forest habitat types of northern New Mexico and
  southern Colorado [22]
Forest habitat types in the Apache, Gila, and part of the Cibola
  National Forests, Arizona and New Mexico [28]
Forest vegetation of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forests in
  central Colorado: a habitat type classification [39].
Forest vegetation of the Gunnison and parts of the Uncompahgre National
  Forests: a preliminary habitat type classification [48]
Forest and woodland habitat types (plant associations) of northern New
  Mexico and northern Arizona [51]
A forest habitat type classification of southern Arizona and its
  relationship to forests of the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico [59]
Coniferous forest habitat types of central and southern Utah [84]

More info for the term: graminoid

Graminoid

More info for the terms: competition, cover, density, forest, grassland, tree

Response to disturbance - Mountain muhly is a decreaser in response to
trampling and heavy grazing [6,45,55,56].  In Rocky Mountain National
Park mountain muhly had significantly less cover at the edge
of hiking trails than in the forest interior, where it was not heavily
disturbed [8].  Mountain muhly is considered a key indicator of range
condition in Cochise County, Arizona.  Allowable stubble heights and
volume removal to maintain satisfactory range condition are given [20].
On Arizona [14] and Colorado [45] ponderosa pine/bunchgrass ranges,
overgrazing causes mountain muhly to decline and be replaced by
sod-forming grasses.  In Zion National Park, Utah, mountain muhly was
quite rare on a grazed plateau and was restricted to the southern third
of the plateau where grazing pressure had been lightest due to earlier
fencing.  It was a common component of the surface vegetation on nearby
isolated, ungrazed mesas [53].

In a northern Arizona study of exclosures established in 1912 and
monitored until 1942, mountain muhly showed greatest increase on
unshaded, ungrazed quadrats.  On excessively grazed ranges, openings
between trees completely lacked mountain muhly.  Where scattered trees
provided some protection against grazing, mountain muhly occurred as
isolated "islands" [6].  In central Colorado ponderosa pine/bunchgrass
ranges, mountain muhly formed an increasingly larger percentage of grass
cover as the intensity of grazing use was reduced.  It varied from an
average of 20 percent of composition on heavily grazed areas to 45
percent on those not grazed.  Ungrazed plants produced 10 to 12 times
more seedstalks than plants that were heavily grazed [45].

On central Colorado ponderosa pine/bunchgrass range, grazing impacts
were monitored from 1940 until 1957.  Of the perennial grasses on the
experimental sites, mountain muhly was the most important forage
producer.  It remained widely distributed regardless of rates of
grazing, but cover was affected by grazing level.  In grassland cover
types, mountain muhly cover increased more than 50 percent between 1940
and 1957 on lightly utilized areas; it decreased about 35 percent under
moderate use; and 63 percent under heavy use.  Its density was greatest
inside grassland exclosures protected since 1940 [76].

In a Colorado study morphological differences between long-term grazed
and ungrazed mountain muhly largely disappeared within the first growing
season following cessation of grazing [13,68].  However, on central
Colorado ponderosa pine/bunchgrass ranges, mountain muhly which had been
grazed at 70 percent for at least 7 years took 3 years for leaf lengths
and number and height of flowerstalks to recover after protection from
grazing [76].

In central Colorado mountain muhly makes its main growth later than
Arizona fescue, little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), and sun sedge
(Carex heliophila), and is grazed later.  On Arizona ponderosa
pine/bunchgrass ranges, mountain muhly receives heavier use than Arizona
fescue later in the growing season [76].

Mountain muhly on depleted ponderosa pine/bunchgrass ranges in central
Colorado increased significantly (p less than .01) when fertilized with 50
pounds (22.7 kg) each of elemental nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium
per acre during May 1968.  Dry weight yields increased under all grazing
levels [19].

Effects on tree regeneration - In central Arizona mountain muhly
competed with ponderosa pine seedlings for water.  Mountain muhly roots
grew faster than seedling ponderosa pine roots; mountain muhly was more
drought tolerant than ponderosa pine seedlings.  During rain following
spring drought, mountain muhly roots took up water faster and more
completely and depleted soil moisture to lower levels than did ponderosa
pine roots.  Established ponderosa pines were able to tolerate
competition for moisture by mountain muhly [50].

In the Southwest herbicides have been used to reduce grass competition
with ponderosa pine seedlings.  Ponderosa pine survival 1 year after
planting on a site occupied by mountain muhly and Arizona fescue was
greater than 94 percent when the grasses were killed with dalapon.  The
success was probably enhanced by the dead grasses serving as mulch [37].

Extracts of mountain muhly green foliage and dead residues reduced
germination and growth of ponderosa pine [71] and yellow sweetclover
(Melilotus officinalis) [72].

Mountain muhly energy value is rated good.  Its protein value is rated
poor [23]. 

In Colorado and Utah, mountain muhly food values were listed as good for
elk, fair for mule deer, small mammals, and small nongame birds, and
poor for pronghorn and waterfowl [23].

Mountain muhly nutrition and digestibility have been described for
Arizona ponderosa pine/bunchgrass range.  Mountain muhly nutritional
components and digestibility when growing in the open and under a timber
overstory were as follows [14]:

                                 Open     Timbered
 
     Nutritional Components (%)

              Crude Protein       6.8       6.1
              Phosphorus          0.20      0.18
              Ash                 8.4       8.0

     Digestibility (%)           50.9      47.6

Mountain muhly percent digestible dry matter at the beginning of each
month was as follows [64]:

                                  Digestible Dry Matter (%)

            June                            47
            July                            49
            August                          55
            September (beginning)           52
            September (middle)              55 

     AZ  CA  CO  MT  NM  TX  UT  WY  MEXICO

In Arizona mountain muhly is a valuable forage plant because of its
abundance rather than because of high palatability.  It is grazed most
readily when the plants are actively growing [44].

In Colorado mountain muhly is one of the more palatable bunchgrasses
for cattle.  However, it becomes less palatable as it matures [38]
unless fully grazed throughout the growing season [82].

In Colorado, Montana, Utah, and Wyoming, mountain muhly forage
palatability has been rated good for cattle and horses and fair to good
for sheep [23].

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Mountain muhly grows during the spring and summer months [38].  Mountain muhly becomes semidormant if there is midsummer drought [64].  In northern Arizona the start of mountain muhly growth is related to the time of spring thaw, which begins when maximum air temperatures attain 50 degrees Fahrenheit (10 deg C).  This temperature is usually achieved about the beginning of March [65]. On northern Arizona ponderosa pine/bunchgrass range, mountain muhly was measured during the snow-free months from 1963 through 1965.  Overwinter green height of mountain muhly was less than 1.3 inches (3.3 cm). Mountain muhly peak growth was during July and August; extent of growth appeared to be closely related to precipitation during those months. Mountain muhly ceased growing during September.  Phenological development of mountain muhly was as follows [65]:                         1963          1964          1965     Heads showing      Sept. 5       Sept. 4       Aug. 15     Flowers in bloom   Sept. 25      Sept. 24      Sept. 7     Seeds mature       Oct. 10       Oct. 6        Sept. 27 Mountain muhly flowering times are:          Arizona              August-September   [46]          California           June-August        [60]          Colorado             July-September     [23,68]          Wyoming              July-September     [23]          Intermountain West   July-September     [16]

More info for the terms: density, prescribed fire

Mountain muhly density generally decreases from prefire values during the first few years after fire [31,62], but it may increase over original values thereafter [4].  Mountain muhly usually takes at least 3 years to fully recover from fire [31].  However, after prescribed fire in central Arizona, mountain muhly had recovered prefire biomass within 10 months [35].

More info for the term: tussock

   Tussock graminoid

More info for the term: seed

Mountain muhly reproduces by seed [16].  It can also reproduce vegetatively by tillering, and sometimes spreads slowly by this method [80]. On western Colorado ponderosa pine ranges, mountain muhly seedstalk production is abundant in normal growing seasons [15]. In central Arizona mountain muhly sometimes retains its seeds into the winter months [80].

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This species can be found in the following regions of the western United States (according to the Bureau of Land Management classification of Physiographic Regions of the western United States):

    4  Sierra Mountains
    7  Lower Basin and Range
    8  Northern Rocky Mountains
    9  Middle Rocky Mountains
   10  Wyoming Basin
   11  Southern Rocky Mountains
   12  Colorado Plateau
   13  Rocky Mountain Piedmont
   16  Upper Missouri Basin and Broken Lands

fall/moderate in ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) sawtimber stands fall/severe in ponderosa pine pole stands

The study site is at 6,890 feet (2,100 m) elevation.  Soil is stony clay loam.  Annual precipitation averages 19.7 inches (500 mm).  There is pronounced drought in May and June, frequent rain in July and August, and scattered snowfall and rain in winter.  Prior to prescribed burning, the site was relatively undisturbed, with no evidence of grazing.  The study area was fenced in 1982, prior to plot establishment, to prevent future livestock grazing.

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More info for the terms: climax, forest, litter

Mountain muhly occurs in seral and climax communities.  On ponderosa pine/bunchgrass ranges of the central Rocky Mountains, the Arizona fescue-mountain muhly stage is seral to ponderosa pine-fir forest [18]. In ponderosa pine/bunchgrass forests of Arizona and New Mexico, mountain muhly declines in the successional sequence that follows complete fire suppression [58]. Mountain muhly grows best in full sun [40].  In northern Arizona mountain muhly declines as shade from ponderosa pine increases [6].  In central Colorado mountain muhly declines with litter accumulation and increased shading by young trees [33]. In parklike stands and openings in ponderosa pine forests of Arizona, mountain muhly and other bunchgrasses develop into dense, exclusive communities that resist penetration by other species, including ponderosa pine [71].

The currently accepted scientific name of mountain muhly is Muhlenbergia
montana (Nutt.) A. S. Hitchc. [16,34,40,42,82]. It is in the family
Poaceae. There are no currently accepted infrataxa.

More info for the term: reclamation

Mountain muhly has potential for use in land reclamation [82].

Muhlenbergia montana (Xutt.) Hitchc. Bull. U. S. Dep. Agr
772: 145, 147. 1920.
Calycodon monlanum Nutt. Jour. Acad. Phila. II. 1: 186. 1848.
Muhlenbergia gracilis var. breviarislala Vasev, in Wats. & Rothr. Cat. PI. Wheeler's Surv. 54. 1874. (Type from Twin Lakes, Colorado, Wolf 1090.)
Muhlenbergia gracilis var. major Vasey. in Rothr. Bot. Wheeler's Surv. 284. 1878. (Type from Mount Grah.im, Arizona, Wheeler Exped. [Rolhrock] 744.)
Muhlenbergia subalpina Vasey, Cat. Grasses U. S. 40. 1885. (Based on M. gracilis var. breviarislala Vasey.)
Muhlenbergia gracilis var. enervis Scribn.; Beal, Grasses N. Am. 2: 242. 1896. (Type from Sierra Madre, Chihuahua, Pringle 1413.)
Muhlenbergia trifida Hack. Repert. Sp. Nov. 8: 518. 1910. (Type from Michoac^n. Arsene 3217.)
Muhlenbergia enervis Hitchc. Contr. U. S. Nat. Herb. 17: 302. 1913. (Based on M. gracilis var. enervis Scribn.)
Perennial; culms densely tufted, erect, glabrous or slightly roughened below the panicle, 30-60 cm. tall, the leaves mostly in a basal cluster, the innovations numerous; sheaths glabrous or minutely roughened, longer than the internodes, the lower finally pale, flat, and loose; ligule prominent, thin, pale, acute, as much as 1 cm. long; blades flat to involute, scabrous, firm, mostly less than 10 cm. long, sometimes 15-20 cm., 1-2 mm. wide, those of the culm usually 2; panicle long-exserted, narrow, usually rather loose, sometimes dense, erect or somewhat nodding, 5-15 cm. long, the axis glabrous or nearly so, the branches ascending or appressed, scabrous, floriferous from base, the pedicels scabrous-pubescent (the lateral less than 1 mm. long); glumes about equal or the second a little longer, the first acute or somewhat toothed, the body about 1.5 mm. long, more or less awn-tipped, the second broader, 3-nerved, 3-toothed, the teeth long or short; lemma about 4 mm. long, pilose below, scaberulous above, the awn slender, flexuous, scabrous, 1-1.5 cm. long, sometimes shorter.
Type locality: Santa Fe, New Mexico {Gambel).
Distribution: Canyons, mesas, and rocky hills, 2000-3000 meters, Montana to Utah and centra! California, and southward to western Texas and southern Mexico.

Perennials, Terrestrial, not aquatic, Stems trailing, spreading or prostrate, Stems nodes swollen or brittle, Stems erect or ascending, Stems geniculate, decumbent, or lax, sometimes rooting at nodes, Stems caespitose, tufted, or clustered, Stems terete, round in cross section, or polygonal, Stem internodes hollow, Stems with inflorescence less than 1 m tall, Stems, culms, or scapes exceeding basal leaves, Leaves mostly cauline, Leaves conspicuously 2-ranked, distichous, Leaves sheathing at base, Leaf sheath mostly open, or loose, Leaf sheath smooth, glabrous, Leaf sheath and blade differentiated, Leaf blades linear, Leaf blades 2-10 mm wide, Leaf blades mostly flat, Leaf blade margins folded, involute, or conduplicate, Leaf blades mostly glabrous, Ligule present, Ligule an unfringed eciliate membrane, Inflorescence terminal, Inflorescence an open panicle, openly paniculate, branches spreading, Inflorescence solitary, with 1 spike, fascicle, glomerule, head , or cluster per stem or culm, Inflorescence branches more than 10 to numerous, Flowers bisexual, Spikelets pedicellate, Spikelets laterally compressed, Spikelet less than 3 mm wide, Spikelets with 1 fertile floret, Spikelets solitary at rachis nodes, Spikelets all alike and fertille, Spikelets bisexual, Spikelets disarticulating above the glumes, glumes persistent, Spikelets disarticulating beneath or between the florets, Rachilla or pedicel glabrous, Glumes present, empty bracts, Glumes 2 clearly present, Glumes equal or subequal, Glumes shorter than adjacent lemma, Glumes awned, awn 1-5 mm or longer, Glumes 1 nerved, Lemmas thin, chartaceous, hyaline, cartilaginous, or membranous, Lemma similar in texture to glumes, Lemma 3 nerved, Lemma glabrous, Lemma apex acute or acuminate, Lemma distinctly awned, more than 2-3 mm, Lemma with 1 awn, Lemma awn 1-2 cm long, Lemma awn 2-4 cm long or longer, Lemma awns straight or curved to base, Lemma margins thin, lying flat, Lemma stra ight, Callus or base of lemma evidently hairy, Callus hairs shorter than lemma, Palea present, well developed, Palea membranous, hyaline, Palea about equal to lemma, Palea 2 nerved or 2 keeled, Stamens 3, Styles 2-fid, deeply 2-branched, Stigmas 2, Fruit - caryopsis, Caryopsis ellipsoid, longitudinally grooved, hilum long-linear.

Muhlenbergia montana, the mountain muhly, is a species of grass. It is native to North and Central America, where it is found throughout the Western United States, the Sierra Nevada, Mexico, and Guatemala.

It can be found in several types of habitat, including grassland, rocky outcrops, mountains, and open areas.